NATIONWIDE HARDSHIP DEEPENS FURTHER –

NATIONAL Bureau of Statistics NBS latest Gross Domestic Product GDP report indicates that the country’s economy contracted by -2.24% in real terms the third quarter of 2016 even as the rate of inflation has continued to observe an unprecedented upward trend. This negative growth rate according to NBS was lower by 0.18% points from growth recorded in the preceding quarter and also lower by 5.08% points from growth recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2015. The report shows that during the quarter, aggregate nominal GDP at basic prices stood at N26, 558,952.83 million compared to the third quarter 2015 value of N24,313,636.94 million. On sectoral compositions, the report revealed that during the period under review, oil production according to NNPC, averaged at 1.63million barrels per day (mbpd), lower from production in second quarter of 2016. According to NBS, growth in the non- oil sector was largely driven by the activities of Agriculture, information and communication and Other Services. It further explained that real agricultural GDP growth in the third quarter of 2016 stood at 4.54% (year-on-year), an increase of 1.07% points from the corresponding period of 2015. The non-oil sector grew by 0.03% in real terms in the third quarter of 2016, reversing the last two quarters of negative growth recorded in the first and second quarter of 2016. This was 0.41% points higher from the second quarter of 2016, yet 3.03% points lower from the corresponding quarter in 2015. In real terms, the non-oil sector contributed 91.81% to the nation’s GDP, higher than the shares recorded in the second quarter of 2016 which stood at 91.74%, the report stated